Lumberjacks kick off Brian Wright era with a win
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NAU players Tommy Ellis and Alex McLaughlin in 2023. Photo: Tommy Martino/University of Montana/Getty Images
Northern Arizona University's football season got off to a strong start under new head coach Brian Wright, but the Lumberjacks will have a tougher test this weekend with an in-state matchup against the Arizona Wildcats.
The big picture: NAU fired former head coach Chris Ball after five seasons, replacing him with Wright, who'd led Pittsburg State's football team since 2019.
- Wright had a 33-8 record over four seasons at Pittsburg State, a Division II school in Kansas.
What he's saying: "We're pursuing excellence regardless of who's on the other side. We haven't had a great amount of consistency here in this program, so we're trying to build that focus. And this week starts that," Wright told the Arizona Daily Sun heading into Saturday's game.
The latest: The Lumberjacks started the season with a dominating 66-6 win at home over Lincoln University, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school in Oakland, California.
- After turning the ball over on downs on its first possession, NAU scored touchdowns on its next eight drives.
Yes, but: Saturday's game versus the Wildcats is a road contest against a team ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25 and No. 18 in the Coaches Poll.
Catch up quick: Despite a 5-6 overall record for the season, NAU finished fourth in the conference last year with a 5-3 record against Big Sky opponents.
Zoom in: This year, the Lumberjacks were projected to take ninth place in the conference in the Big Sky Football Media Poll and seventh in the Big Sky Football Coaches' Poll.
- Both polls picked Montana to repeat as conference champs.
Between the lines: This looks to be a rebuilding year for the Lumberjacks, who lost 15 players to the transfer portal after last season and return with only four starters on each side of the ball, according to Sports Illustrated.
Who to watch: Senior center Jonny Bottorff, linebacker Tommy Ellis and defensive back Alex McLaughlin represented NAU on the preseason all-conference first team.
- In his first game at NAU, quarterback Ty Pennington, who followed Wright to Flagstaff from Pittsburg State, threw for one touchdown and 116 yards while completing 8 of 10 passes.